Nixta Makes Bon Appétit’s 10 Best New Restaurants List

Bon Appétit Picks Nixta as One of America’s 10 Hot New Restaurants

ST. LOUIS, MO/August 19, 2017 (STLRestaurant.News) – St. Louis’ favorite new Mexican restaurant is one of the best new restaurants in America. That’s According to Bon Appétit, which named Nixta (1621 Tower Grove Ave.) one of The Best New Restaurants in America 2017. This year’s “Hot 10” list includes ten restaurants from major foodie cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Two restaurants from St. Louis, Nixta and Chef Michael Gallina’s Vicia had been among 50 finalists. Nixta is the only restaurant in Missouri, and one of only three restaurants in the Midwest to make this year’s list. (Chicago’s Elske and Giant were the other two.)

Bon Appétit deputy editor Andrew Knowlton and senior projects editor Julia Kramer spent nearly a year traveling across the U.S., sampled food coast to coast. They traveled a combined 35,000 miles and ate at hundreds of restaurants in 41 cities in researching their subjects to find this year’s winners.

Nixta, which opened last November, is part of chef-restaurateur Ben Poremba’s portfolio which includes Elaia, Olio, and another new restaurant last year, Parigi. Nixta’s kitchen is led by executive chef Tello Carreon, who combines his childhood in Guanajuato, Mexico, his expert culinary skills, and fresh ingredients to create upscale, contemporary Mexican dishes like nowhere else.

In selecting Nixta to the Hot 10, the Bon Appétit editors lauded Carreon for his broad approach to Mexican cuisine, praising him for not limiting his dishes or choice of ingredients to just one region of Mexico. Of Carreon’s food, the magazine writes: “He makes deeply complex moles the way his grandmother taught him. He fries mushroom-cheese flautas that could be the ultimate bar food. He applies dots of rose water foam to a stunning ceviche of juicy, plump shrimp.” But it’s the octopus at Nixta that especially got their attention. It is the most popular dish on the Nixta menu for good reason. Bon Appetit’s Julia Kramer called it “a perfect specimen” and extolled its crispy tentacles, describing it as “tender and meaty,” and not too soft in the middle.

St. Louis diners already knew Nixta was an amazing dining experience. It had already earned much local, critical acclaim, and Nixta had won a spot on our customer review-based Tapas & Small Plate Top 10 list in June. The restaurant’s exquisite food is served in a cozy, colorful dining space. Reservations are strongly recommended, since this place fills up fast. If you’re there on a Friday or Saturday night, be sure to stick around past 10:00 p.m. when the restaurant transforms into Bar Limon, offering a late-night menu, cocktails made with plenty of Mezcal and premium tequila, plus live music and salsa dancing. Nixta and Bar Limon have quickly become St. Louis favorites, and now the secret is out, thanks to Bon Appétit.